by Lauren Corbett Executive Director of Vermont C.A.R.E.S. The Vermont Committee for AIDS Resources, Education, and Services (Ver- mont C.A.R.E.S.) announces the receipt of the following grants and funding: Vennont C.A.R.E.S. has received a grant from the Vermont Agency of Health and Human Services Independence Fund for the provision of case management serv- ices to persons with HIV spectrum infec- tion who reside in Chittenden, Addison, Rutland, St. Albans, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Washington, Orleans, and Caledonia coun- ties. These funds have been designated for the salary of the C.A.R.E.S . Client Consult- ant., who will be providing the case man- agement services. The C.A.R.E.S. Client Consultant Program is the that program of its kind in Vennont which bases its services on the existence of HIV infection rather than on other criteria such as income levels or age. These are the first funds made avail- able by the state for service delivery to persons with HIV spectrum infection. C.A.R.E.S. has also received funding from two sources for its Emergency Client Assistance Fund. A Ben & Jerry’s commu- nity service grant has been awarded for emergency assistance to those clients who are receiving Client Consultant services. Another award from Broadway C.A.R.E.S. will also increase fundsto those most in need of emergency assistance. Broadway C.A.R.E.S. is the New York theater com- munity’s AIDS support and resource or- ganization. Golden Threads Celebration The 4th Annual Golden Threads Cele- bration will take place on June 22-24 at the Holiday Inn in Provincetown, Massachu- setts. Lesbians from all over the world will converge to celebrate what they are and their age, whatever that is. The highlight of the celebration will be a banquet, followed by the internationally known folk singer and lesbian entertainer Alix Dobkin. The evening’s festivities will conclude with dancing. During the week- end, rap sessions will be offered. In existence since 1985, Golden Threads is a worldwide network of lesbians over 50 and women who are interested in older women - no lesbian is excluded. For more information, please contact Christine Burton, Golden Threads, PO Box 3177, Burlington VT 05401-0031. Vermont C.A.R.E.S. Reports New unding Vermont C.A.R.E.S. has also received a very generous donation of artwork valued at over $60,000 from Dr. Stephen Balsam and his wife in memory of Dr. Balsam’s first wife. These paintings will be sold in the coming year through various means; one painting, valued at $45,000, has been consigned to aNew York art gallery for sale on behalf of Vermont C.A.R.E.S. Other funding includes the continuing support for Risk Reduction Education by the Vermont Department of Health. Please watch for the beginning of our Safe Sex parties! Another grant has been continued for the education of SRS staff members concerning IHV spectriun infection and psychosocial issues. A secondary grant has been awarded by SRS to provide small group risk reduction services to children and adolescents in SRS care. The Office on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs has contracted with C.A.R.E.S. to provide four educational sessions in Vermont on homo- phobia, sexuality, chemical dependency, and the HIV connection. These programs have already begun. , Despite the growing base of financial support for Vermont C.A.R.E.S., we still need your individual financial support in order to continue to provide quality serv- ices to those persons living with AIDS in Vermont. The funding described above is targeted for specific parts of programs we offer and cannot be used for other parts of the programs. C.A.R.E.S. also continues to provide direct services through the efforts of our June-July 1990 volunteers to provide a variety of support services to persons with HIV infection in Vermont. Please contact the C.A.R.E.S. office to join our volunteer effort. Vermont C.A.R.E.S. wishes to extend our deepest thanks to the gay and lesbian communities in Vermont for all their help in the past year. Your enduring emotional and financial support has helped us on all levels. UFMCC Comes to Vermont The Universal Fellowship of Metro- politan Community Churches (UFMCC), an ecumenical Christian church for gays, lesbians, and their friends and families, has finally come to Vermont. Twelve people met with the Northeast Coordinator for the UFMCC, Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Pulling of Hart- ford, Connecticut, on May 5th to discuss the fonnation of the Vermont UFMCC. Among the issues covered at the meeting were worship style, possible meeting places, and promotion. A steering commit- tee was formed to help make decisions con- cerning the UFMCC group. The Vermont UFMCC is starting slowly so as not to risk failure by doing too much too soon. The services, to be held at members’ homes, will be led by lay people who are able, according to UFMCC prac- tice, to administer the eucharist. For those interested in learning more about the UFMCC, as well as where and when the services will be held, call 802- 334-2133.